First Night!

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
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Pugsy
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Re: First Night!

Post by Pugsy » Fri Dec 31, 2021 5:35 pm

For a full face mask that doesn't put pressure on the nose look at the ResMed AirFit F30 or the ResMed AirFit F30i

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... -face-mask

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... k-headgear

If you can normally breathe through your nose just fine without needing to mouth breathe....any number of nasal masks will be available and work a lot better with a beard...and be more comfortable and keep sealed easier.

Look at my preferred mask link in my signature line. No headgear means I don't get dents on my cheeks from straps. My own personal preference has always been as little on my face and head as possible.

And there's any number of nasal cushion masks or nasal pillow masks

The ResMed AirFit P10 nasal pillow mask is about as nothing as anyone can use in the traditional nasal pillow masks.

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... k-headgear

and it's under the nose cushion version the AirFit N30....I haven't tried this one but just ordered it to try for grins. I want to compare it to the P10 just for fun.

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... h-headgear

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Janknitz
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Re: First Night!

Post by Janknitz » Fri Dec 31, 2021 5:39 pm

BuckarooBanzai wrote:
Fri Dec 31, 2021 5:22 pm
One more thing: I'm hunting on other threads for mask recommendations. If anyone has a favorite, please feel free to scream it out.

I am currently using a full-face mask (Resmed AirTouch F20). My concerns are:
1. It seems to put a bit of pressure on my nose. I just had a turbinectomy, so I'd like to get a mask that doesn't place any pressure on the nose.
2. Can't wear my glasses with this mask on.
3. I sport a beard, and some masks are not good for bears.
4. I sleep on my side.
5. Not a mouth breather, but sometimes I get congested...
Take a look at the nasal cradle masks (Dreamwear and Airfit P10) if your nose can handle it during the recovery phase (I don't find nasal cradles or nasal pillows any stronger in my nose than a FF mask). There are also FF masks that have a nasal cradle so there's no pressure on the top of your nose (Air Fit, Dreamwear, and Amara view). Kaiser has its own "formulary" for masks, so if a particular mask is not on the formulary they won't cover it. But I think these are on the formulary (I no longer have DME coverage with Kaiser so I buy my own masks and don't have to deal with Crapria). I don't know if they do this during Covid but it used to be they would give you samples to try and you could keep them. Once you decide on a mask, it becomes part of your Rx with Kaiser and you have to get them to change the RX if you want a different mask.

My favorite is the Dreamwear nasal cradle mask. It's lightweight and soft against the nose, the hose on top stays out of my way. It does slip around on the back of my head, but it's easy to fix. Some people complain it's noisy because if you sleep on your side there's air rushing through the vertical tubes on the mask, but I don't hear it.
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Pugsy
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Re: First Night!

Post by Pugsy » Fri Dec 31, 2021 5:40 pm

Mask preferences are highly individualized and all come with a big YMMV sticker...one man's treasure is another man's trash sort of thing and the only way for you to know if for you to try it yourself.
You are going to have your own personal preferences, wants and needs which can vary widely from someone else's preferences.

I have tried probably 40 or 50 masks over the years...not so much because I was unhappy with the current at the time mask but because with each experiment I always learned something. Now sometimes all I learned was what a bad idea that was but I always learned.
Like I learned I couldn't ever use any mask that touched the nasal bridge area of my nose at all....hate it...I get pretty much immediate congestion from the slightest pressure of anything on that area of my nose.

We can point you to the ones we have had a good experience with but there are no guarantees that you will have the same good experience.

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I may have to RISE but I refuse to SHINE.

If you want to try the Eclipse mask and want a special promo code to get a little off the price...send me a private message.

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zonker
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Re: First Night!

Post by zonker » Fri Dec 31, 2021 5:55 pm

Miss Emerita wrote:
Fri Dec 31, 2021 4:02 pm
I even spelled it right this time, thanks Xonker!
Image
people say i'm self absorbed.
but that's enough about them.
Oscar-Win
https://www.apneaboard.com/OSCAR/OSCAR-1.5.1-Win64.exe
Oscar-Mac
https://www.apneaboard.com/OSCAR/OSCAR-1.5.1.dmg

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BuckarooBanzai
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Re: First Night!

Post by BuckarooBanzai » Fri Dec 31, 2021 8:04 pm

By replacing your morning coffee with green tea, you can lose up to 87% of what little joy you have left in your life. - Zonker
Zonker, you have a great sense of humor.

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zonker
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Re: First Night!

Post by zonker » Fri Dec 31, 2021 8:12 pm

BuckarooBanzai wrote:
Fri Dec 31, 2021 8:04 pm
By replacing your morning coffee with green tea, you can lose up to 87% of what little joy you have left in your life. - Zonker
Zonker, you have a great sense of humor.
nar, mate. i just sees them on the internet and then i, well, seize them.
people say i'm self absorbed.
but that's enough about them.
Oscar-Win
https://www.apneaboard.com/OSCAR/OSCAR-1.5.1-Win64.exe
Oscar-Mac
https://www.apneaboard.com/OSCAR/OSCAR-1.5.1.dmg

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BuckarooBanzai
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Re: First Night!

Post by BuckarooBanzai » Fri Dec 31, 2021 8:21 pm

Well as I've already come to know: when it rains, it pours - at least here. (Not that we Californians know anything about rain, mind you.)

I think I'm looking for a full-face hybrid, like the first two Resmed masks Pugsy proposed. Given congestion and such, I just don't think I'm anywhere close to going all-nasal.

So, the way it works at Kaiser now, J, is that, given the pandemic, Kaiser Sleep doesn't actually see any of us in the lab or office. We do the home sleep study, get diagnosed, and then they prescribe the CPAP equipment over the phone. The tech asks questions and then suggests a mask or nasal unit as appropriate. They have Apria ship everything out, and then there is some sort of 30 day period where the patient can exchange the mask free with permission and a new script from Kaiser.

Called Apria today and they determined I am still within the warranty period. They will have Kaiser Sleep call me early next week about switching out the mask. I don't know which masks Kaiser lists in its formulary, but I will show them the two hybrid full-face masks Pugsy mentioned and ask them what they recommend for a bespectacled bear with a sensitive no-touch nose. Given the documentation in my chart regarding my 12/20 turbinectomy, I don't think I'll have a hard time talking them into something appropriate.

I think I will push hard for the Resmed AirFit F30.

And I'll also request a script for a heated tube. (Poor damaged nosey must be pampered.)

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Miss Emerita
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Re: First Night!

Post by Miss Emerita » Sat Jan 01, 2022 12:27 pm

If for any reason Kaiser won't work with you on this, keep in mind that if you have a prescription that says something like "mask per patient preference," and if your budget allows, you can buy a mask from an online provider. Several have policies that allow you to return a mask that doesn't work -- within 30 days -- and try another one at no charge except postage. This could require an edit in your prescription; my Kaiser respiratory technician handled that for me without any problems and made sure I got a copy of the revised scrip.
Oscar software is available at https://www.sleepfiles.com/OSCAR/

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BuckarooBanzai
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Re: First Night!

Post by BuckarooBanzai » Sat Jan 01, 2022 1:01 pm

Thanks, Miss E. Will make sure to get that script this week. Will be talking to Kaiser on Monday or Tuesday about the mask prescription.

Got a confessions to make: I wake up at something like 6 AM, say to myself, "Whew! Now I can take this thing off and really get some sleep!" - and then I do. So, even though I'm wearing/sleeping 6.5 hours with this mask on, I don't feel rested. Not yet. I am just sticking with it hoping that some day this will be my normal sleep pattern.

But I DO get at least 3 good hours of rest with it every night. And I do wake up from long, deep dreams while hooked up, so apparently I am making it through all the sleep stages and getting some REM.

Am rethinking the mask issue. Last night, when I got congested at like the 3 hour point, I began to breathe through my mouth. I hate mouth breathing so much that I disconnected, ran a sinus rinse, sat up for a bit, and then hooked up and went back to bed breathing through my nose. So, perhaps I can do a nasal mask after all. Perhaps something like the AirFit N20 or Airtouch N30.
Last edited by BuckarooBanzai on Sat Jan 01, 2022 3:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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chunkyfrog
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Re: First Night!

Post by chunkyfrog » Sat Jan 01, 2022 2:21 pm

Even as little as a few minutes of untreated sleep seems to undo hours of cpap.
Before cpap, if I woke without the usual apnea headache, I would stay up.
Even if it was too freakin' EARLY, like 2 or 3 AM.
A tiny snatch of good sleep outweighs hours of "apneaboarding".

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BuckarooBanzai
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Re: First Night!

Post by BuckarooBanzai » Sat Jan 01, 2022 3:16 pm

Even as little as a few minutes of untreated sleep seems to undo hours of cpap. - ChunkyFrog
ChunkyFrog, that's an excellent point. So, it would be better to just get up at 6 AM and stay up? Meaning, less sleep with CPAP is better than more sleep without CPAP?

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Julie
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Re: First Night!

Post by Julie » Sat Jan 01, 2022 7:34 pm

Depends I guess on how many hrs you've had to an extent - you won't survive long on just 3 hrs/nite every night, but also keep in mind that some of us were used to e.g. 10 (bad) hrs prior to cpap, trying to get sleep, and with Cpap you may well not need more than e.g. 7 (or even 6).

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BuckarooBanzai
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Re: First Night!

Post by BuckarooBanzai » Sat Jan 01, 2022 8:07 pm

Well, right now, I'm getting 6 'bad' hours with CPAP. Actually, several of those hours are somewhat 'good,' I just feel messed over on the second three hours. No matter how I feel, though, my AHI =1.3.

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BuckarooBanzai
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Re: First Night!

Post by BuckarooBanzai » Sun Jan 02, 2022 4:54 am

Could be that my sleep has been 'off' for so very long - years - that I will take some time to really synch my body with it's own proper circadian rhythms.

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Julie
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Re: First Night!

Post by Julie » Sun Jan 02, 2022 7:03 am

Any chance of changing your bed time? Could there be a connection either to that or wake up time that's essentially problematic?